BY LOVINA EICHER
After some nice 60 degree weather it has turned colder again. The clouds look dark so I wonder if we will get some snow soon. Other than those few inches we had earlier this month we haven’t had any. The children are ready for some snow but I am glad it has held off. Quite a few of the children need new boots for the winter but so far it has not been possible to buy some. Buying shoes and boots for 10 people can really add up in a hurry. This week my husband Joe went back to work after being off for the Thanksgiving holiday. The children are also back in school after being home last week.
Jacob, Emma, and family and our daughter’s friend, Timothy, were our Thanksgiving dinner guests. We opened our table all the way and set it for the 18 of us. It is getting a little crowded around the table with the children all growing up so fast. Emma and Jacob’s deceased dear little Marilyn is also still missed at these holiday dinners.
On the menu was turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, gravy, mixed vegetables, corn, broccoli-cauliflower salad, potato salad, vegetable dip and veggies, dill pickles, hot peppers, tea, homemade wheat and white bread, rhubarb jam and butter, pumpkin roll, strawberry fruit pudding, and an assortment of pies including cherry, apple, pecan, butterscotch and chocolate pie along with ice cream. We had a lot of leftovers and divided them between our two families for easy meals the next day. I fixed a 24 pound turkey so we had plenty left for another meal. The afternoon was spent playing games and singing. Friday we did the laundry and hung some outside to dry and some in the basement. The bed sheets dried really nicely and smelled fresh to put back on the bed. While we were doing laundry Joe’s sister, Esther, husband David ,and another of Joe’s sisters, Susan, and three sons came for a visit. Esther and David live in Ohio but were out here in Michigan visiting family. Susan has a son who is the same age as son Kevin. Those two sure make a match in playing together. They were not ready to part when it was time for them to leave.
Friday evening we went to the visiting of our friend Linda, 61, who lost her battle to cancer. Our sympathy goes to the family. Saturdya was spent just cleaning up the house and folding the laundry. The girls cleaned out some closets upstairs. We were glad to see our friend Ruth stop in after hving not seen her in awhile. The children always enjoy the treats she brings.
Sunday we had a delicious brunch at Jacob and Emma’s house. They served biscuits, sausage gravy, eggs, potatoes, sausage links, cheese, hot peppers, pineapple sheet cake, milk, coffee, tea, rhubarb, grape, and V8 juices. It was a rainy day so the afternoon was mainly spent playing games like Battleship, Aggravation, Connect Four, Skipbo, and Mancala. The children wanted to go for a pony ride but the rain did not let up. Finally they decided to be a little creative and fixed a canvas up over the pony wagon. It looked kind of looked like a covered wagon and they were able to go for a little pony ride. They said they are the Ingalls from Little House on the Prairie. Although most of them managed to stay dry we still had a few with wet coats but at least they had some fun. The following recipe is a good one for the holidays
CEREAL CANDY
1 cup sugar
1 cup sweet cream
1 cup corn syrup
5 cups of corn flakes
2 cups of Rice Krispies
2 cups of Cheerios
1 cup salted peanuts (optional)
1 cup coconut (optional)
In a large pot over medium heat cook the sugar, cream, and corn syrup together until they reach the “softball stage.“ Then add the other ingredients. Stir until thoroughly mixed. Drop by tablespoon onto a cookie sheet lined with wax paper and let set like you would a “no bake cookie.” reprinted with permission from www.amishcookonline.com. Richard from Amish Stories
